page_title: 17th century in philosophy
section_title: Events
hierarchical_section_title: 17th century in philosophy / Events
caption_attribution_description: Dispute of Queen Cristina Vasa and René Descartes
context_page_description: This is a timeline of philosophy in the 17th century.
context_section_description: 1649 – Christina, Queen of Sweden (reigned 1633–1654) invited René Descartes to educate her in his philosophical views, particularly his insight into Catholicism. 
  Descartes arrived on 4 October 1649, and tutored her for the next 4 months until he caught pneumonia and died ten days later on 11 February 1650. Speculations have been made as to the causes of his illness. Some cite the icy weather, others argue it may have been elicited by the rigorous schedule asked of Descartes by the queen. In 1991 a German scholar published a book questioning this account and more arguments against its veracity have been raised.
caption: Queen Christina (at the table on the right) in discussion with French philosopher René Descartes. (Romanticized painting from the 19th century)
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